Steve,
As it happens, my first British Car was also a1951 MG-TD, though I didn't get
mine until 1959. And I was also a college student at the time. Thus began
many years of Brit car adventures. Countless SU whacks and futzing with their
points. Same SU experiences with my next Brit car, a 1961 Austin Healey 3000,
at least until I replaced it with a Bendix pump I purchased at a local auto
parts store. Never had another fuel pump problem after that even on a So Cal
to upstate NY drive.
My first notable adventure with the TD happened while I was working at a
summer job in downtown LA which required a daily freeway commute from Canoga
Park in the San Fernando Valley. After work one day I discovered that one of
the TD's rear tires was flat. After groaning I got out the lug wrench, jack
and removed the rear mounted spare. The first try with the lug wrench
resulted in the whole wheel spinning even though the parking brake was on. I
pulled the parking brake lever back another notch and slipped it into first
gear. No wheel spin this time but the lug wrench twisted into a "pretzel"
shape. The goon at the Whitefront store where I had purchased a set of tires
must have set his impact wrench at about 800 ft-lbs. I grabbed the lug wrench
and started making the rounds of nearby service stations. At the first one
the attendant looked at the wrench, laughed and said something like "wat ya
git fir buyin a firun ker", followed by a prolonged belly laugh. His buddies
thought that it was pretty funny too. Finally I found a more sympathetic
place that had a universal 4-way lug wrench that looked like it might fit.
The station manager was more than happy to lend it to me, provided I left a
$10 deposit. Fortunately one of the sizes was close enough and with some
huffing, puffing and lots of banging I got the flat off and the spare on. It
was a learning experience, so to speak. After that I always broke lug nuts
loose before jacking up the wheel. But that didn't always work. Once I tried
to loosen the lug nuts on a VW bug front wheel and even with the full weight
of the car on it, it still rotated. I had to get someone to step on the brake
pedal while I loosened the nuts.
After the freeway grind from downtown LA back to the Valley I made a quick
trip to the automotive department at a Sears store and bought a multi-sized
British car lug wrench. Sears used to sell all kinds of Brit car stuff in
those days. I kept the wrench for later use on my solid disk wheeled Healey
with which I had an equally adventurous first flat tire experiences and I did
with the Brit car after that.
My most curious TD experience involved the starter. Occasionally it would jam
so I made a habit of parking on streets with a grade or at the top of a sloped
driveway, when possible, to assist with a push start. If I was lucky, letting
the car roll and putting it in gear- usually 3rd or 4th, the starter would
unjam. But not always. When I got the car the only included tools were the
jack, lug wrench and no documentation. I bought a set of Whitworth wrenches
and sockets from a local Brit car supply place in San Fernando and a shop
manual from a book store that specialized in automotive publication in either
Burbank or Glendale, I've forgotten which. The Brit car place is long, long
gone, but a couple of years ago I heard that the book store was still in
business. Anyway, the first place I looked in the manual was the section that
covered the starter. Sure enough there was a paragraph dealing with starter
jamming. It stated that TDs came with a special tool that fit on the end of
the starter shaft and was used to rotate the starter to unjam it. I found a
removable dust cap on the end of the starter shaft in the engine compartment.
I didn't have the original tool, but I found a wrench that fit. Problem
solved! After that I parked anywhere I pleased!
Roland
_____________________________________________________________________________
________________
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:28:49 -0700
From: Steve Laifman <slaifman@socal.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Electrical problem... Lucas or...Ford?
When I bought my first English car, the MG-TD, in 1951 (new) I was
given some advice by the agency.
"Always keep a Bumpershoot Handy."
Well, I was a freshman at CalTech, young, and I was afraid to show my
ignorance of the "mother tongue". Turns out that a "bumpershoot" is
British for "umbrella", so I followed his advice and kept one in the
back shelf. That was a strange action, here, as it hardly ever rains in
California.
I was traveling North to the Valley (San Fernando) when my car sputtered
and quit in the fast lane. Ignition on, I couldn't hear the SU fuel
pump "clicking away". So, while stopped in fast heavy traffic, I got
out of the car with "bumpershoot" in hand, raised the window, and gave
the fuel pump a few "whacks" with the umbrella. It started clicking
away, so I got back in, started immediately, and went home. He was right.
I checked out the "Workshop Manual" manual, and it didn't mention a
"bumpershoot". It's friendly advise:
"Periodically clean your fuel pump points with a clean business card."
Great advise, except I didn't have a business card as a freshman.
Yes, still have an SU fuel pump under the Tiger rear shelf door, but
never had to clean it. Maybe it's because I have a "never been used"
bumpershoot! Or maybe it senses the unused "bumpershoot" on the parcel
shelf?
And the question was about Ford starter relays. Who knows, it may
become free to move with a few good whacks, as well.
Steve
Steve Laifman
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